The PILOT2 initiative of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society goes online on September 15. It will be the first Philippine site to accept credit card payments over the Internet.

The project www.shops.com.ph or PILOT2 seeks to set up a business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic commerce Web site.

Its objectives include creating an e-commerce mall to demonstrate the benefits of actively taking part in the electronic marketplace; demonstrating the secure environment in handling electronic payments on the Internet in cooperation with the E-Commerce Promotion Council and Equitable Bank; and determining the viability of the pilot project to continue as a full pledged e-commerce mall.

The PILOT2 project started in September 1998. Bringing to life the potentials of e-commerce in the Philippines demands the collaborative efforts of dedicated entrepreneurs.

Given the diversified nature of the processes, the project also requires a diversified team that will commit to handling different segments of the of the e-commerce value chain.

Behind the PILOT2 project are the Philippine Internet Commerce Society for overall project supervision; the E-Commerce Promotion Council as the approving agency; Intel Philippines for server hardware support; and IBM Philippines for Net.Commerce Software Support.

Equitable Card Network will provide electronic payment gateway support; Mosaic Communications will offer Internet connectivity support; ITAC will bring security firewall support; and Web Philippines Inc. will provide project management and web site development support.

Participating merchants for the PILOT2 project includes: The Leather Collection, Goodwill Bookstore, Makati Business Club, BusinessWorld Online, Mosaic Communications, Inc., Philippine Daily Inquirer, Power Mac, and Skytel/Powerpage.

The PILOT2 project has been accepted by all local and international VISA, Mastercard, JCB cards on the site. At the moment, participants of the PILOT2 will have to pay the merchant bank Equitable Card Network a 5 percent fee.

After 6 months, participants of the PILOT2 will discuss other potential arrangements. Should there be any disputes in the transaction from the cardholder, unless proven otherwise, the participating merchants will shoulder all back charges.

The front-end interface of the site is currently being worked on prior to the launch. Until the E-Commerce Law is passed, Equitable Card Network will not fully offer this Internet payment service to the public but only to selected groups.